What Is the Cost of Cryonics?

As in all things related to after-death care, the price of cryopreservation varies quite a bit. The Cryonics Institute asks that interested consumers sign up for either a lifetime or annual membership. Lifetime membership requires payment of a one-time flat fee of $1,250, while an annual membership costs $120 per year plus a one-time initiation fee of $75. Members then pay either $28,000 (for lifetime members) or $35,000 at the time of death. The payment may be made in cash, but is typically funded by a life insurance policy with the Cryonics Institute as the beneficiary. 

Like the Cryonics Institute, Alcor’s pricing model is based on membership in the organization, but prepayment is required. The minimum payment amounts quoted on Alcor’s website as of December 2020 are $200,000 for whole-body cryopreservation and $80,000 for neuropreservation (preservation of only the brain). This covers all costs associated with cryopreservation, as well as revival when and if that becomes possible. To guarantee that funding is available in the future, Alcor places a “significant portion” of the prepayment amount in a trust. 

Alcor members also pay a $50 per month membership fee; additional family members are $27 per month. In some cases, surcharges may also apply. Funding may be guaranteed by a life insurance policy, a fixed annuity, an irrevocable trust or, of course, cash. According to its website, Alcor will allow some individuals (for example, the elderly or those who are ill) to fund up to 50% of the total cost of membership with physical assets such as real estate, a 401k account or a bequest. 

It’s worth noting that the two providers offer different levels of service for the fees they charge. Most importantly, Alcor’s membership includes the majority of funding (minus a $15 monthly fee) for its Comprehensive Member Standby Program, which provides standby personnel to begin the process of cryopreservation at the bedside of a member who has died. It also provides up to $10,000 in relocation assistance for members who wish to move closer to the Alcor facility as death nears. Cryonics Institute, on the other hand, asks that members contract with a standby service provider themselves and pay any fees associated with preserving the body and transporting it to the Cryonics Institute in Michigan after death.  

Sources

“FAQ”. Cryonics Institute. https://www.cryonics.org/membership/faq  

“Membership.” Alcor Life Extension Foundation. https://www.alcor.org/membership/ 

“Comprehensive Member Standby Program”. Alcor Life Extension Foundation. https://www.alcor.org/library/comprehensive-member-standby/